In a slip gown that embodied ’90s simplicity, Vanessa Hudgens celebrated her marriage to the baseball player Cole Tucker on Dec. 2, in Tulum, Mexico.
The couple met in October 2020 during a virtual meditation session led by Jay Shetty, a monk turned life coach, Ms. Hudgens told Vogue. Mr. Shetty led the wedding ceremony at Azulik Resort, an Instagrammable, jungle dreamscape.
The 34-year-old actress wore a sleek, custom Vera Wang cowl neck slip dress, complete with a tulle cape and veil and her hair slicked back in a bun. (The slicked back, middle-part bun was also worn by Sofia Richie in her trendsetting wedding in April 2023.) Ms. Hudgens, 5-foot-1, also wore Paris Texas platform pumps to help compensate for the 14-inch height difference between herself and Mr. Tucker, 27, a free agent shortstop and outfielder.
For the reception, she changed into a strapless lace bodice and an airy chiffon skirt — again, Vera Wang — and Larroudé platforms.
Ms. Hudgens, who starred in “High School Musical” and “Tick, Tick … Boom!,” has frequently worn custom Vera Wang pieces at red carpet events, including at the CFDA awards in November, where she presented Ms. Wang with an award. And Ms. Wang has a history of dressing celebrity brides, including Issa Rae and Ariana Grande. So, the pairing made perfect sense, said Ms. Hudgens’s longtime stylist, Jason Bolden, who introduced the two several years ago.
Mr. Bolden and Ms. Hudgens started pulling reference photos shortly after she got engaged in February. The duo’s main source of inspiration was a photo of Salma Hayek in a slinky black gown at the Met Gala in 1997, Mr. Bolden said. They then visited Vera Wang’s New York atelier for fittings.
Mr. Bolden is an assiduous stylist. (He styled eight celebrities on Oscars night this year, including Michael B. Jordan and Jay Ellis.) From Saint Louis, Mo., he started his career in retail at luxury fashion houses, including Chloé and Gucci. He and his husband, Adair Curtis, who is an interior designer, were the stars of the 2019 Netflix show “Styling Hollywood,” which follows the couple as they collaborate with their clients.
We spoke with Mr. Bolden about working with Ms. Hudgens on her bridal looks, drawing inspiration from ’90s icons and his vision as a stylist. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.
Walk me through the process of styling Vanessa for her wedding.
Vanessa and I spoke, and we looked at Salma Hayek, Halle Berry, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy — at those worlds.
We started talking with Vera, and we did the fitting. We ended with this really classic, cream slip dress. Vanessa was super consistent and solid on that kind of simplicity. And I saw a cape off to the side. We tried it on, and it just felt right. It had this ruffle around the trim that made it feel a bit more special and bohemian for the location. And we just stuck with it.
Why was Vanessa drawn to simplicity for her wedding looks?
On your wedding day, the focus should be you. All the other things begin to be a distraction. In all of those veils, those trains, and the fluff, the person gets lost.
I wanted to keep it super clean and super timeless. I always go back to that reference of Sade in a turtleneck and red lip. It’s the most iconic reference. I try to recreate that. I wanted somebody to see Vanessa’s dress, and they wouldn’t know if that was a 1920s moment, a 1998 dress, or a 2023 dress. It could feel archival, it could feel now, and it could feel like the future as well.
Is the simple and timeless aesthetic consistent with your overall vision as a stylist?
Listen — I love classic, beautiful craftsmanship. I feel like a lot of times when there’s so many other things going on, someone’s trying to hide from me. I’m not trying to hide my clients under the dress because I want everybody to see them. I want no distractions.
With simplicity in mind, it’s a very distinct point of view. If you look at everybody that I work with, no one has ever been lost in anything. That’s part of my styling bible, if you will. It’s dialed in, it’s very clear, and it’s timeless.
Buns are having a moment in bridal fashion.
In the fitting we had, her hair was snatched back in a bun, and we knew, This is it. Really seamless. Super classic. And again, there was no distraction from Vanessa.
Tell me about the second outfit.
The second look was very party. We wanted something playful. It still felt sexy, but it felt in the same world. It was a really easy, comfortable look.
How would you describe Vanessa’s style?
I think Vanessa’s style is easy. She’s like: city girl, easy. It’s not over thought about. It’s not following trends. She lives a functional, city girl life. What she buys is what she likes. What she wears is what she likes.
